Howdidyoustartwritingaboutgardens?
Wereyoualreadya gardeneryourself?I havebeen
a gardenermostofmylifeandI comefroma long
lineofgardeners.I hadn’tthoughtaboutwriting
gardenstoriesuntilI wasoffereda columnin
Home&Buildingmagazineabout 20 yearsago.
It justseemedtogrowfromthere.Thewritingwork
encouragedmetostudylandscapedesignandso
anotherdooropened.Designingandwritingabout
gardens – who could ask for a better career?
Whataresomeofthebigchangesyou’veseen
inwhatpeoplewantoutoftheirhomesand
gardens?I’veseena gradualshiftfromgardens
beingregardedmainlyasa showcaseforplants,
togardensasa placetolive,anextensiontothe
home,withplantsusedforstructureandas‘soft
furnishings’.Andthere’sdefinitely more awareness
of sustainability now.
Whoareyourfavouritegardendesigners?
CurrentlyI lovetheworkofnaturalisticdesignerslike
PietOudolf,TomStuart-Smith,DanPearsonand
NigelDunnett.Theycreategardensthatareintune
with nature, where there’s an emphasis not just on
“I’veseena gradualshift fromgardensbeingregardedasmainlya
showcase forplants, togardensas a placeto live,anextension to the
home, with plants used for structure and the soft furnishings”
aestheticsbutalsooncreatingbiodiversity.They
selectplantsbasedontheirsuitabilityforthe
conditionsofthesite,sotheyneedverylittle
attentionandnosprays,yetreappear every season
in all their stunning glory.Whatareyourtopfiveplantsforbeginner
gardeners?Myfavouriteplantforscentand
structureisMurrayapaniculata. Myfavouritefor
fruitis anavocadotree;if youhavespaceforonly
onefruittreeandit’snottoocoldinyourarea,plant
one.Theycanbetrimmedtofitreasonablytight
spaces.ForfoliageI can’tresisttractorseatplant
(Ligulariareniformis) althoughI doadoremynative
Coprosma‘PoorKnights’groundcover with its
cascadeofshinyleaves.
Myfavouritetreeis kōwhai:light,lacyleavesthat
woodpigeonsloveandthosedelightfulyellowflowers
thatattracttūītothegarden.I haveanavenueof
theminmygarden.Andpeasareprobablyoneofthe
bestvegesforbeginners;therearesomanyvarieties,
youcaneatthepodsandthetips,andyoucansprout
theseedsindoors,too.Globeartichokesarealsoeasy
togrowandtheirbeautiful,silver-grey,architectural
leaves make a real statement in the vege garden.Whyareyousopassionateaboutsustainableand
eco-friendlyhomesandgardens?I believe
weneedtolooktotherhythmsandcyclesof
naturewhencreatingspacestoliveandrelaxin,
astheywillbethemostharmoniousandpleasant
tobein.We’vespenttoomanyyearsinconflictwith
natureandit hasn’tgonewellforusashuman
beings.Whynotgowiththe flow rather than be
constantly against it?Andfinally,we’dlovetoheara littleaboutyour
owngarden.Therewasvirtuallynothinginthe
gardenwhenI startedit fouryearsago– a blank
canvas,whichis a delightforallgardendesigners.
Asthesurroundingareais a bitwildinparts,a
structuredgardenwouldhavelookedoutofplace,so
herewasmychancetocreatea naturalistic garden
inspiredbymyfavouritedesigners.
I grewmostoftheplantsfromcuttings,seedsand
divisions– flaxes,reeds,daylilies,dietes– and
plantedtheminbigswathes,followingthecontours
ofthesite.Somedidn’tmakeit butnowotherplants
arestartingtoself-seedinthegarden,andI’m
allowingit inordertoincreasethediversityof
species for the bees and other insects.•24 |yhg